Thursday

Natural gas drilling and New York state’s fiscal crisis dominated the talk Wednesday at a candidates forum that featured the Republican and the Democrat vying for the 137th Assembly District seat.

The forum, which was held at Elmira Free Academy and sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Elmira-Corning chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, featured Assembly candidates Chris Friend and James Hare answering questions from an audience of a few dozen people.

Fourteen of the 22 Chemung County Legislature candidates also attended the forum.

In their opening statements, both Assembly candidates described New York’s government as dysfunctional.

“Albany’s a broken mess,” said Friend, a Big Flats Republican. “(But) we can rebuild it.”

Hare, an Elmira Democrat, said current lawmakers in Albany desire power, not a functioning government.

“I believe the government should work for the people,” Hare said.

The candidates traded answers on more than a dozen questions, but natural gas drilling and fiscal reform highlighted the discussion.

Friend and Hare both said they support hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, to tap into a wealth of natural gas lying beneath the Southern Tier. Each said drilling needs to be regulated and done safely, and both said they would vote against a drilling moratorium.

Friend said New Yorkers are “fearful of it,” but should trust the study being done by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Hare said New Yorkers need to “find a middle ground” in the drilling debate. He said it should be heavily regulated, adding that “the process is working.”

Both men rallied against unfunded mandates -- or required spending by municipalities that lacks funding from the state.

Friend said the best way to reduce property taxes and stop unfunded mandates is to cut state spending and reform Medicaid.

Hare said the government needs to make tough choices and tighten its belt.

“New York has to learn to say no,” he said.

Among the other topics:

• Legislative redistricting: Both men said they support independent, bi-partisan redrawing of district lines.

• Charter schools: Hare, a retired history teacher, said he’s in favor of stronger public schools and does not support charter schools. Friend said he supports charter schools because they provide competition.

• Medicaid reform: Hare said Medicaid reform should start with the hiring of a Medicaid director to oversee the program. He also suggested creating an independent commission to advise the director. Friend said Medicaid needs reform in “many” areas.

The 14 candidates for the county Legislature who attended the forum were each given two minutes to describe themselves to the audience. After the forum, the candidates informally discussed topics with audience members.